Dear Parishioners:
I am very grateful for the great response to our break-in last week. Within twenty minutes of the news breaking, parishioners were here to help clean up and replace the food damaged. Many people have called and are sending donations to the pantry.
Whoever these people were, they did not succeed in hurting us. We have more than replaced the food that was destroyed. We will be able to give better aid to the poor. The crucifixes and statues will be replaced. In fact, one statue has already been replaced.
We have had donations from non-Catholics, Jews, atheists. A note from one man says, "...the situation you experienced reverberated well outside your church community. I am an atheist, but anyone who does "good works" only to suffer such an indignity must be aided by us all." It is signed, "We won't let the hate win, your friend." There are so many good people in our world. We must never let the news of the evil in our world overcome us. Yes, the media will focus on what went wrong. It is the nature of news to report what is unusual. Thanks be to God, it is still what went wrong that is the news.
Pity our world if what goes right becomes the news. What would it say about our society if the headline on tonight's news were to say, "So and so didn't kill his wife today!" The correct perspective is what is always needed.
St. Paul in 1 Thessalonians (5:4-5) writes, You are not in the dark, brothers, that the day should catch you off guard, like a thief. No, all of you are children of light and of the day. We belong neither to darkness nor to night. Another blessing to the damage is the fact that we have been able to raise in peoples' hearts the evil of prejudice in our city. Radio, television, the papers have carried stories about the note and the references to evil.
Many of you have spoken to me about the fact that this is not us. This does not define who we are. We are a parish who is committed to the truth that we are all God's children and we will treat each other with respect. Are we perfect at this yet, of course not. Are we making a sincere heartfelt effort to see God's will in our lives, I believe so.
Let us pray every day for these people. They have a heart that is wounded and in need of God's healing grace. I invite each of you to take the initiative when you can to speak out against prejudice and hatred. When more and more of us speak up, we will see a reduction in the amount of hatred and prejudice. When we speak it must not be out of anger or superiority or moralizing, but out of love and care for others.
What would Jesus do in a situation like this? He would respond with love and concern for those with troubled hearts. We don't know what has happened to them to bring them to the point of such hatred and violence. They are desperately seeking love and family. Let us redouble our efforts to be the Body of Christ to others. Our Father in heaven who sees all things will bestow His blessing on us.
Fr. Bill
